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Lady Jaina Proudmoore
Archmage Jaina Proudmoore is the leader of the island port of Theramore, daughter of Grand Admiral Daelin Proudmoore and sister of Tandred Proudmoore. = Overview = Jaina was one of the most talented and trusted sorceresses of the Kirin Tor. She was dispatched by the leader, Antonidas, of that talented mystical order to discover what was happening in the northlands of Lordaeron. She was escorted by Arthas, her one time romantic interest, to uncover if the plague has magical origins. Excerpt from the World of Warcraft Game Manual: "Jaina Proudmoore is the most powerful human sorceress alive. A one-time ally of Prince Arthas, Jaina saw the fall of Lordaeron firsthand. Traveling to Kalimdor, Jaina swore to defeat the Burning Legion and its sinister agents any way she could. Joining forces with the night elves and even the orcish Horde, Jaina helped defeat the demon Archimonde and banish the Legion forever. She then gathered the human survivors in Kalimdor and founded the port city of Theramore. There she rules over the tattered remnants of the Alliance and hopes to reunite the distant human kingdoms once more." Early Exploits Jaina Proudmoore is the youngest daughter of Daelin Proudmoore (Grand Admiral of Kul Tiras) and longtime friend and ally of Lordaeron and Azeroth. At a young age, Jaina was enamored with tales of the Guardian Aegwynn. When her magical talent was discovered and she was sent to Dalaran, she badgered Antonidas into accepting her as an apprentice, eventually becoming one of the few female wizards in direct service to Dalaran. Under pressure by the expectations of her mentor, the heroic legacy she had to live up to, and the watchful eye of the citizenry of Lordaeron, Jaina struggled to keep her focus on her studies. Because of their mutually royal heritage, it was inevitable that Jaina and Prince Arthas, the heir to the throne of Lordaeron, would meet. They began seeing each other regularly, and their relationship, over time, developed into something of a love affair. However, both Arthas and Jaina didn't care for the public attention they were getting, and so they broke off contact, but remained good friends. The Third War Many years later, Antonidas, eager to learn more about the Plague sweeping northern Lordaeron, was met by the Prophet, who pleaded with the wizard to take his people west to Kalimdor. Antonidas dismissed the Prophet as nothing more than a madman, but Jaina, who had been watching from hiding, sensed great power in the Prophet, and thought that perhaps they should heed his warnings. Antonidas continued to disagree, and instead sent Jaina to meet with Arthas and investigate the Plague at the northern village of Brill. Jaina was attacked by ogres on the way, but handled herself well, and dispatched them with ease. As they investigated Brill, Jaina saw some very strange things, including a necromancer, as well as a zombie made from multiple corpses. They faced off against several undead enemies, and came upon a granary which contained grain infested with the Plague. The crates bore the seal of Andorhal, the primary distributor of grain throughout Lordaeron. Chasing the necromancer, who was actually Kel'Thuzad, formerly a member of the Kirin Tor, to Andorhal, they found a mass of undead warriors waiting for them, but fought their way through to Kel'Thuzad, where Arthas killed him. Jaina and Arthas made their way back to Lordaeron, and they stopped for rest at the small town of Hearthglen. However, when they arrived they discovered that the plague-infected grain from Andorhal had arrived and had been distributed amongst the townsfolk. They were transforming into the undead. Jaina reluctantly, but hastily left to find Uther for reinforcements. When she returned with the Silver Hand at her back, Hearthglen was all but destroyed, and Arthas was fighting a losing battle. With Uther's help, though, they managed to push back the undead attackers. Arthas, demoralised and horrified by overwhelming forces of undead, vowed to go to Stratholme, where he hoped to fight Mal'Ganis. Jaina and Uther followed him to Stratholme, but didn't arrive in time to stop the townspeople from eating the tainted grain. All three knew that the people of Stratholme would soon become undead and attack them. Arthas was in favour of slaughtering the people before their transformation to purge the town, but Uther could not condone murdering helpless people whose only crime was being infected, even if leaving them alive meant they would soon become a threat. When Uther refused to kill the civilians as Arthas ordered, Arthas renounced him, accusing him of treason. He demanded that any true to the king stay with him and see to the town's destruction. Jaina turned and followed Uther to Arthas' surprise. Jaina and Uther returned to Stratholme's burning ruins after Arthas had finished with it. Both were apalled at what they saw. Jaina was visited by the Prophet Medivh there. She realized that he had been right, and he encouraged her to gather her people and sail west for Kalimdor. Jaina decided to follow his words, and made preparations. She left just as the invasion of Lordaeron began. Arrival at Kalimdor thumb|Jaina Proudmoore Upon arriving at Kalimdor, Jaina found that there were orcs there. Believing the Horde to having followed them from Lordaeron, Jaina began to battle with them, and Grom Hellscream retaliated. After a disastrous battle with the Horde, Jaina set out to find somewhere where she could keep the orcs at bay. Not only was Stonetalon Peak a good defense, but also, she sensed a great power within. After being defeated while defending the mountain, Jaina led a small expedition into the mountain, with the hopes of finding some power that could help her defeat the orcs. But she sensed that they were being followed. Upon breaching the core of the mountain, Jaina stumbled upon Thrall and Cairne. They were about to battle when they were all suddenly confronted by the Oracle, who was actually the Prophet Medivh they had met in Lordaeron. The Prophet Medivh implored them all to ally with each other, saying that they would not survive alone against the might of the Burning Legion. Reluctantly, Jaina agreed to ally her forces with Thrall's. Jaina gave him a Soul Gem, which he used to capture Grom's essence as the invasion of Kalimdor began. Then, she helped him purge Grom of the demonic curse that had gripped him. However, the power of Mannoroth wasn't something even she and the orcs shamans and humans wizards could overcome, thus Grom Hellscream gained only a small temporary freedom. Jaina and Thrall continued as allies, although their forces were not very eager about it, even after Hellscream's death. They were terrorized by the Undead, but also by the night elves' deadly hit-and-run attacks. Though their alliance with one another kept them alive, they were only holding on by a thread. Finally, Thrall received a vision. Jaina followed him to where he was instructed to go, where they found the leaders of the night elves, Malfurion Stormrage and Tyrande Whisperwind. The Prophet appeared, and revealed himself to be none other than Medivh, returned to correct his mistakes of old. He implored the humans, orcs and night elves to all join forces against the Legion, or they would all fall alone. They all agreed to defend Mount Hyjal together. Jaina used her teleportation spells to scout out the surrounding area, and found that Archimonde and his doom guard were quickly making their way up the mountain. The defenders instituted three bases going up the mountain in an effort to halt his ascent. Jaina's base was the first in Archimonde's path, and so it was the first to go, but before he could kill her, Jaina spirited herself out of Archimonde's clutches. The next base to go was Thrall's, and Jaina used her remaining energy to teleport Thrall from his base before Archimonde destroyed him, so that they could live to fight another day. Jaina took her refugees to an uninhabited island off the eastern coast of Kalimdor, and named the new outpost Theramore. Founding Theramore The prophet Medivh sensed her leadership abilities and urged her to take the people she could with her to the west, fleeing Lordaeron and her home country of Kul Tiras. The exact time of Theramore's founding isn't clear (sources differ as to whether it was founded before or after the Battle of Mt. Hyjal), but the role of the citadel is important in the tale of the Founding of the Orc nation, Durotar. When Rexxar demanded an explanation of the humans encroaching on Durotar and the assassination attempt, Jaina denied all knowledge. When Jaina agreed to help the Mok'Nathal investigate, they discovered the accusatory outpost was under attack from Naga. After rescuing a marine, Jaina realized with horror that her father had decided to pay her a visit. Jaina pleaded with the Admiral to spare Rexxar, but Daelin would have none of it. Rexxar and his companions escaped, and Thrall rallied an army to push back Proudmoore's pig-headed assault. Jaina was in despair. While she felt loyalty to her father and her nation, her experience with the Scourge and the Legion convinced her that petty hatreds and vendettas such as her father's were immaterial in the grand scheme. Jaina helped the Horde gain ships from the goblins and ordered her own troops to stand down when they assaulted Theramore. Jaina's last words to her father were to ask why he didn't listen. Cycle of Hatred Theramore and Durotar remained at relative peace for three years, though the two former archenemies were still wary of each other. Eventually, a series of minor shipping incidents led to extreme tension between the two powers, enough so that the Goblins, who controlled the region's only neutral port, complained. Despite the tension, Thrall requested Jaina's aid in relocating a herd of Thunder Lizards displaced by a mysterious logging operation at Thunder Ridge. Jaina intended to relocate the Lizards to a largely unpopulated region on the far side of Mulgore, but was astonished to discover that the area was magically warded to protect its single inhabitant: Aegwynn. The former Guardian brushed off Jaina's admiration, but filled in the gaps of what had been happening amidst the tensions between Theramore and Durotar: a minor demon, Zmodlor had revived the Burning Blade and was playing the two powers against each other. Jaina and Aegwynn hastily returned to Theramore, where they discovered that Jaina's own chamberlain had been corrupted by the Burning Blade. After dealing with the turncoat, they took on Zmodlor himself. Unfortunately, the demon was backed by a small cabal of Warlocks (either Eredar or Satyr, the text is unclear). The Three Loves of Jaina Proudmoore Jaina had some interactions with some of the male lead characters. Her flirtations with Arthas were obvious in the opening human chapters. It is also mentioned in the Human history detailed in the manual. Their respective paths and the nature of a relationship between two such public personas doomed their romance. It is also evidence of what Jaina's other love might be. Her love of magic leads her to end her relationship with Arthas, but also to leave her homeland. Her studies at the Violet Citadel were only interrupted by the Archmage's request that she go to investigate the plague. Finally, in the conclusion of Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, Arthas makes mention to Kael'thas of his "stealing" of Jaina. Kael confirms his and Jaina's previous relationship by telling Arthas that he had taken everything Kael had ever loved. Kael's biography in the Warcraft encyclopediahttp://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/encyclopedia/451.xml reveals that Kael fell in love with Jaina when she was studying magic with Antonidas, but the difference in their ages (she was a teenager and he was several centuries old) filled him with "guilt and self-doubt." When he eventually did approach her, she was at such a juncture that her studies came first. A few months later, rumors of her relationship with Arthas began to circulate. (Fan speculations in this story thread suggest that Arthas will eventually throw off his Lich King persona in order to save Jaina from something, but such speculation will not be addressed until the next WarCraft game after the Burning Crusade) The relationship between Jaina Proudmoore and Thrall After Jaina and Thrall's forces were forced to work together after the meeting with Medivh, the two leaders soon became good friends. Thrall stated that Jaina reminds him strongly of Taretha, but Jaina has stated no specific reason for her trust in Thrall. Their relationship is nonetheless strong, even having endured the battle of Durotar, which cost Jaina her father and Thrall many of his warriors. They still consider each other allies. Some fans have speculated that Thrall and Jaina were (or will be) romantically involved at some point, but canon neither confirms nor denies this. The White Punch Card that drops in Gnomeregan for the Data Rescue Alliance quest has many lines of binary code printed on it. When decoded, it reads "Thrall and Jaina sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G", an in-joke for the fans. Clarification on Jaina's Role in World of Warcraft Though the events of Warcraft 3: Reign of Chaos and Warcraft 3: The Frozen Throne, and the wording of the World of Warcraft Game Manual imply that Jaina is the leader of the Alliance, it is worth noting that unlike the Horde, the Alliance is strongly factionalized. Within the Alliance, no particular race, or even person, occupies a subordinate political position to the other races, with one exception being perhaps the Gnomes, who exist with the Dwarves as a refugee populace (though one with great political and military power). The Kaldorei have always stood aloof from the politics of other races, and stand as they have for the last several millenia under the leadership of Tyrande Whisperwind. To compare, Thrall's position as Warchief of the entire Horde is uncontested (though not unquestioned). Cairne Bloodhoof of the Tauren and Vol'jin of the Darkspear Trolls occupy subordinate positions in the Horde power structure (though they are regarded as personal equals by the Warchief). The continuing cooperation with the Undead Forsaken is considered temporary at best, and Sylvanas Windrunner herself thinks little of the affairs of the Horde, other than as a means to an end. The Human race in particular is very heavily divided, with many neutral kingdoms and factions all vying for power, the humans of Theramore being just one of them. Human players in World of Warcraft are assumed at first to be part of the Kingdom of Stormwind, one of the city-states of the Human Alliance that escaped devastation by the Scourge. Though the current King of Stormwind is Anduin, the actual leadership of the nation falls on the shoulders of Highlord Bolvar Fordragon, who acts in the role of regent, until the boy-king comes of age. As a reflection on the tumultuous nature of the Human Politick, the status of racial leader for the Humans has shifted at least twice in the World of Warcraft timeline, between Highlord Fordragon and Archbishop Benedictus, of the Church of the Holy Light. Thus in game terms, assaulting Theramore and defeating Lady Proudmoore will not produce the Honor points that usually come of defeating a racial leader. That honor is reserved, currently, for the High Lord Bolvar Fordragon of Stormwind. It is worth noting that Jaina (with the arguable exception of her estranged half-sister, Finnall Goldensword) is the last surviving heir to the founders and leaders of the Alliance (Daelin Proudmoore, Terenas Menethil and Anduin Lothar). Lothar had no children, and his successor Turalyon was lost with the Alliance Expedition; Arthas, obviously, is not eligible for any position within the Alliance. Jaina is also the leader of the humans in Kalimdor, humans who hail almost exclusively from Lordaeron, the nation who traditionally led the Alliance. As such, her claim to being Highlady of the Alliance is more concrete than other Alliance leader. This is reinforced by her relationship with the Night Elves, whose territory is closer to Theramore (both diplomatically and geographically) than of the other Alliance nations. Barriers to Jaina's place as Highlady include the proximity of Theramore to Durotar, undesirable for a faction capital in the current political climate. As already noted, the factionalism of the Alliance in general and the humans in particular prevents Jaina, or anyone else, from assuming full leadership of the Alliance. 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